


Vice Versa

by koganeisms (reiirae)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Minor Angst, One-Sided Attraction, or so he thinks, theres literally one second of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 16:58:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13745349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reiirae/pseuds/koganeisms
Summary: Gift for grand-guardian-deity in the Allurance Valentines Exchange!





	Vice Versa

Lance didn’t like training sessions that dragged - and it seemed ever since Keith took over, their hours had been kicked up. The boy was used to intense training, and seemed unaware that not everybody had the stamina to keep up with him. So the long hours felt longer, as the team struggled to keep pace with Keith.

It was one of those long, painful training sessions today. Keith had given them a short break from what Lance would solemnly call torture. The aforementioned male was nowhere in sight - Lance found himself stood next to Allura, bent over with her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath. 

“Hey. You okay?” Lance asked, the concern in his voice genuine.

A few moments passed before Allura looked up, a weak smile plastered across her features. “Yes, I am...absolutely fine.” she replied breathlessly, leaning back against the wall. “Maybe a little tired.”

Lance raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. “A little? You look like you could collapse.” 

“Perhaps. I cannot give in now, though. Father wouldn’t like it if I did.” she murmured, 

“You guys got that?” Keith looked up at four paladins before him expectantly, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. “Please tell me you’ve been listening this whole time.”

“Don’t worry, I got it.” Pidge spoke up, glancing sideways at Lance. “Don’t think he did, though.” 

Keith glared at the taller boy, who held his hands up in faux surrender. “Don’t look at me! I know what’s going on. It’s just infiltration, right?”

“Sure. That’ll do. Just stick with Allura and Hunk, okay? They both know what’s going on.” Keith sighed, shaking his head slightly.

“Allura and Hunk, got it. Wait, where’s Pidge gonna be?”

Pidge raised an eyebrow at Lance, smirking ever so slightly. “You do realise you’re working with Allura and Hunk, right? I’m sticking with Keith. He did say that.”

“Uh, yeah, I knew that! Just testing you,” Lance winked, although the nervousness was clear in his expression.

“I’m sure you did.” Keith rolled his eyes, straightening the collar of his jacket. “Just get to your lions. Hunk, fill Lance in on the way, will you?”

Hunk nodded in response, and the team dispersed to their lions. Lance sighed as he trailed after Hunk, shaking his head. “I don’t get why he’s always at me throat.” he huffed, quickening his step to catch up to Hunk.

“I don’t know, man. You two don’t exactly have the greatest relationship.” his friend tried to reason, earning only a frustrated sigh from Hunk. 

“He shouldn’t be holding our rivalry against me when he’s supposed to be the leader. Shiro wouldn’t do that.” Lance fumed.

“I really don’t know, man,” Hunk said, pausing for a second as they reached Lance’s lion. “Anyway, I’ll fill you in on the way. I gotta get to my own lion though.” 

Lance nodded, waving as Hunk walked away before stepping into his own pod. It wasn’t _his_ fault Keith had a personal vendetta against him. He had been listening, anyway - maybe not as closely as Keith was expecting, but he was listening nonetheless! It infuriated him, but there was nothing he could do about that. Keith was stubborn - everything went over his head if he didn’t want to hear it, and he certainly didn’t want to hear what Lance had to say. Part of him still wished Shiro was leading the team.

By the time he was in the Red Lion, his anger had subsided a little. He sighed as he leaned back into the seat, letting out a soft sigh of relief before gripping the controls. “Hey, Red.” he murmured softly, relaxing slightly. 

“Everyone here?” Keith’s voice crackled over the comms, and Lance had to suppress a sigh before responding. 

“I think so.” he replied, shifting in his seat slightly. “Let’s go.”

“Yep. I’ve set a course for us to follow,” Keith explained. “Stick to it. Keep in a close formation. I don’t wanna risk anyone getting one of us alone.” 

Everyone murmured their assent as they flew out of the castleship, Lance’s firm grip on the controls never relaxing. He couldn’t understand why he was so tense - usually Keith’s petty behaviour didn’t get under his skin this much - but he knew he needed to relax soon; he couldn’t focus properly with this much anger coursing through his mind. 

“Okay, Lance, you want me to explain what we’re doing?” Hunk’s voice asked.

“I know what we’re doing, I just need the fine details.” Lance responded, forcing himself to loosen his grip. “Hit me, buddy.”

“We’re supposed to stick with Allura once we get there and hang around Keith and Pidge’s entrance point. That way we can cover them and fight off anyone who tries to stop us getting in. We can also keep an eye on the entrance to make sure they get in safely.” Hunk began to explain, and Lance hummed in response. 

“Once Keith tells us to, we’ll move to the exit point. That way we can tell them if anything’s gonna make escaping difficult, and guard the exit if anyone we can take out shows up.”

“Okay. What happens if Pidge and Keith get trapped inside?”

“That’s your cue. Since the Red Lion is easily the smallest one out of the three we have our here, you’ll go in and assist. Hopefully we won’t need to send Allura in too - I’m sure you three can handle anything they throw at you.” Hunk replied optimistically, and Lance could hear the hope in his friend’s voice. 

“Gotcha.” Lance replied, a small smile creeping across his face. At least they had enough faith to have him as backup, even if the Red Lion was the best option to infiltrate regardless. They at least had some kind of trust in him. 

They flew in silence from then on - nobody really had the energy to communicate when it wasn’t necessary, and so the comms fell silent quickly. It wouldn’t take long to get to the large Galra ship they were infiltrating, anyway. 

Keith spoke up as they approached the ship, clearing his throat briefly, “Okay, guys, you know what to do. Let me know if anything happens out here.” 

The team gave their various affirmative hums, and so Keith set off with Pidge hot on his heels. The remaining three were quiet for a few moments longer, watching their teammates disappear into the enormous ship before them.

“Do you think they’ll end up needing us?” Hunk asked, concern already creeping into his voice.

“Nah,” Lance replied, shifting to sit more comfortably. “Keith knows what he’s doing, and so does Pidge. I doubt they’ll have any problems.” 

“Try not to worry so much, Hunk. I am positive they will both be absolutely fine.” Allura reassured softly, and Lance felt a small smile spread across his features. He couldn’t deny he had a rather large crush on the princess, even though he was practically positive it would never become anything more than that. She was royalty, after all. But a guy could dream.

The trio lapsed into a familiar silence, ready to jump into battle if either of their teammates needed them. There was nothing to be said, anyway - now wasn’t the time for small talk. Lance’s thoughts wandered away from the mission quickly, though, and he soon found himself thinking about a certain princess. Those thoughts seemed to occupy his mind increasingly often these days, he’d noticed. Not that he was complaining. 

He knew he had little to no chance with Allura - she’d never returned any of his flirting attempts or shown any kind of interest in the Cuban boy. That didn’t stop Lance from hoping, though, even if he knew getting his hopes up was a stupid mistake. He’d just end up hurt - he knew that too well.

One day he hoped the war would be over, and he could back to Earth. Maybe Allura and Coran would come too - if they didn’t, things wouldn’t be the same, really - and they could experience Earth for themselves. They’d both expressed interest in visiting the paladins’ home planet before, having never seen Earth before. Maybe, just maybe, this would give Lance the opportunity to get with Allura. Hopefully the Alteans would settle on Earth, and then it would be easier for Lance to ask Allura out, and…

His thoughts were disrupted by Hunk’s voice get the comms, “You guys okay?”

“Yup. Just keeping watch.” Lance replied, resting his hands behind his head. “Not much else we can do right now.”

“I hope they’re okay…” Hunk murmured, voice growing gradually quieter. 

“I’m sure they’re just fine, Hunk.” Allura replied softly. “They’ll probably update us soon.” 

They fell back into the same comfortable silence afterwards, and Lance could feel his mind slipping off track again when Pidge’s desperate voice crackled through the comms, “Guys? We need Lance, right now!” she demanded, startling the trio into action immediately.

“What’s up?” Lance replied, already beginning to advance towards the ship. 

“Keith’s not replying. He took a bad blow, and I think he’s unconscious.” Pidge responded quickly, anxiety tinging her voice. “We can’t risk losing the Black Lion here.”

“I’m on my way. Hold tight, Pidge,” Lance promised, pressing onwards faster. He was aboard the ship within moments, which was thankfully clear of guards at this moment. They’d stayed at a large enough distance to keep off the ship’s radar, and they were most likely too busy handling Keith and Pidge to be watching that right now, allowing Lance an easy entrance. “Okay, send me your coordinates, Pidge, and I’ll be there.”

Barely five seconds passed before the Green Lion’s coordinates flashed up before him, indicating only a short distance to travel, towards a hangar slightly further up the left side of the ship. Lance double checked them quickly, scanning his eyes over the numbers before setting back off towards the location provided. 

He was greeted by the sight of the Green Lion desperately trying to hold off the increasing number of guards whilst the Black Lion lay crimped in the corner of the hangar. Lance didn’t waste any time engaging in the fight, aiming straight for a pair of guards who had turned their attention onto the Red Lion. He still hadn’t quite adjusted to the unfamiliar controls, making him a little more hesitant to try anything too complex, but it didn’t limit his attacks too badly. Pidge was holding up well, shielding Keith and the Black Lion from further damage. 

The weapons arming the guards were surprisingly powerful, Lance noted with a hint of concern. They were able to deal pretty damaging hits onto the lions, even on foot, meaning the likelihood of them escaping unscathed was narrow at best.

“Lance! Move!” Pidge’s voice yelled over the comms, just as his Lion was hit by a flurry of bullets. Lance screeched in alarm, quickly manoeuvring out of the area and higher up. 

“I don’t know how we can beat them, Pidge. They’re just as powerful as us - and there’s probably a load more of them on the way!” he yelled over the comms. He was met by silence, although he wasn’t really expecting an answer from his teammate. 

The silence between the pair dragged on for a few more moments as they weaved through bullets and shrapnel. “Call Allura. Three of us can handle this better than two.” Pidge concluded decisively, narrowly avoiding another wave of bullets.

The Blue Paladin didn’t hesitate - within seconds he’d directed an emergency beacon to Allura’s Lion, praying Hunk wouldn’t encounter anything too bad while standing guard. 

Outside, Allura reacted to the beacon almost immediately. “Hunk, Lance and the others need me. Will you be alright without me?”

The other Paladin hesitated momentarily before responding, “Yeah. D-Don’t worry.” 

“Hunk, I am sure you will be just fine. Hold tight for us, alright?” Allura asked, keeping her tone as reassuring and calm as possible. “I must assist our teammates quickly.” 

Hunk didn’t respond, and so Allura took her leave. She could feel her heart racing as she navigated her way towards Lance’s coordinates, bottom lip caught between her teeth. It didn’t take long to find her teammates - Lance and Pidge both appeared to be having a rough time taking out a small army of Galra soldiers, and the Black Lion lay crumbled in a corner of the hangar.

She knew better than to waste time trying to get Keith out of the Black Lion - there would be time afterwards, when it would be safe to recover him from the Lion. It only took her a few moments to work out her best attack strategy, launching herself from her previously unseen spot outside the hangar at a group of soldiers aiming at the Green Lion. The surprise attack worked - having been unaware of her presence, none of them had time to turn and open fire on her before she left them laid on the group, either dead or too stunned to move.

Pidge cheered over the comms, before being drawn into another fight with a pair of soldiers, this time with stronger weapons than the previous group had been equipped with. Allura turned her focus on Lance, who seemed to be having a hard time shaking three groups of soldiers off, who had gathered in a circular arrangement beneath the Red Lion and seemed intent on shooting it down. She immediately turned on the closest group, face fixed into a scowl at the mere thought of somebody injuring her teammate. It didn’t take much effort to pick off one of the weaker groups, and once they were laid motionless on the ground, she turned on the stronger groups. These weapons were unlike anything they’d previously seen any Galra soldiers wield, she noted, which probably meant Zarkon was working on even stronger weapons to enable soldiers to shoot the Lions out of the sky. That thought sent a shudder down a Allura’s spine, forcing her to return focus to the situation at hand. 

The Red Lion wasn’t doing well from the looks of it. Lance was struggling as more and more soldiers closed in on him, each armed with a more threatening weapon than the last. Only a few had turned their attention onto the Blue Lion, who shot back at them like they were nothing - they seemed intent on getting the Red Lion down. It wasn’t until the last moment that Allura spotted a larger soldier approaching, carrying the biggest gun she’d seen in her life, that she realised Lance’s life was really in danger. Sure, the Lions could take thousands of hits with no injury to their pilot, but they weren’t invincible. She didn’t have time to tell Lance to move - there was only one remaining option.

And so she thrust her Lion into the middle of the conflict, bullets raining down on the metallic sides with a deafening clanging and shoving the Red Lion aside in the process. It took the shot she knew Lance wouldn’t have survived, knocking her onto the ground. Her body jolted violently as she hit the ground, briefly losing the use of her Lion’s controls upon impact. The Blue Lion wasn’t too badly damaged, though, having only just joined the fight, and became able to fly again after only a few moments. 

“Allura!” Lance screamed, panic flowing through his body in waves. For a few moments, the Blue Lion had laid completely still, instantly causing Lance to panic - what if that shot had killed her? He knew it would’ve killed him, but...but she was the princess; she had to survive! A sense of relief flooded through him the second he saw the Blue Lion begin to get back to its feet, knowing the princess was okay.

“I’m okay, Lance.” she murmured breathlessly over the comms, regaining her composure before launching back into the ongoing battle. “Don’t worry about me right now. We have a battle to win!” she called determinedly, firing her Lion’s ice beam at a pair of soldiers running towards her. Lance snapped back into action after her command, although he found himself unable to keep his eyes from straying to the Blue Lion every so often.

It was a gruelling battle, but Team Voltron eventually emerged victorious. Lance felt his entire body relax as soon as the last soldier fell, resting his head in his hands. “T-That wasn’t fun.” he murmured, aware of how heavy his breathing must sound to the others. 

“Not in the slightest,” Pidge agreed, and he could hear her ragged breathing too. “I’m gonna go check on Hunk. Are you two okay to see if Keith and the Black Lion is okay?” 

“Of course. Please, reassure Hunk that we are all alright.” Allura requested, bringing the Blue Lion to its’ feet again and moving towards Keith’s crumpled Lion. “We can handle Keith.”

“Okay. Let us know if there’s any problems.” Pidge replied before turning her Lion around and exiting the hangar. Lance looked over to Allura’s Lion, smiling softly. She was so kind-hearted, so good to people despite how badly people had treated her. He didn’t think he’d ever manage to understand how she was capable of expressing such empathy despite the terrors she’d seen - anyone else would likely become bitter and cruel. He followed Allura towards their teammate, who had now stepped out of her Lion and was running her hands over the beaten metal of the Black Lion. 

Lance was quick to exit his Lion, moving to stand beside the princess. He frowned, looking down at the damaged Lion before back at Allura. “Do you think he’s okay?”

“I have no idea,” Allura confessed, moving closer to the Lion’s head. “Because the Black Lion is unresponsive, I believe Keith may be unconscious, which will make it difficult for us to recover him. We may just have to wait it out, and if he doesn’t wake up in a few hours we’ll have to find another method to get him out of here.” 

Lance gulped visibly at the thought of pulling the dead body of his teammate from the Lion. Sure, he didn’t get along with Keith, but he didn’t want to see him dead or injured regardless of his opinion on Keith’s style of leading. “Hopefully he’s still alive…” Lance mumbled, bowing his head slightly.

“I believe he is. The Black Lion is curled up, which is a defence mechanism. The head is pressed against the wall, meaning it’s the furthest away from the conflict. That means Keith is as safe as possible, and the Lion would’ve been unable to get into this position if Keith had died on impact.” Allura explained, sitting down beside the Lion’s head. “They are exceptionally designed to protect their pilots.” 

“No wonder Voltron is such a strong weapon.” Lance mused, smiling at Allura. She simply nodded, a soft sigh escaping. Lance frowned briefly before placing a hand on Allura’s shoulder. “Thanks. You saved my life back there.”

“I couldn’t lose a teammate, Lance. You don’t have to thank me for doing my job.” Allura replied simply, a shaky smile spreading across her face. “We couldn’t have Voltron without you.”

“Yeah,” Lance murmured softly, returning the princess’ smile. “Still, I was worried you were gonna get killed by saving me. It was touch and go for a second there.” 

Allura laughed softly, shaking her head. “Blue can withstand it. Red had taken a lot more damage, which is why you were my priority.” she explained.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” he murmured. 

Allura smiled before wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist, drawing him close. “I’m glad you are safe too, Lance.” 

“If you ever needed saving, let me know. I owe you.” Lance joked, resting his head on top of Allura’s.

The princess giggled, shaking her head and looking up to meet Lance’s eyes. “You do not owe me anything, Lance. You have already saved me once.”

“That was ages ago!” Lance protested. “And I didn’t do it alone - all the others were there!”

“The Blue Lion chose you, didn’t she?” 

Lance paused, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, uh, yeah, I guess, but…” he trailed off.

“Exactly. I could never repay you for that. If you had never found the Blue Lion, I would never have been able to meet all of you. I would most likely still be in cryosleep,” she replied, eyes watering with unshed tears. “Lance, if you had not come, I would never have been so lucky as to meet you.”

Lance felt his eyes widen slightly in surprise. Allura almost seemed...interested. He didn’t reply, only leant down to gently press his lips against hers. She would probably push him away, tell him that’s not what she met - and then she kissed back. 

They kissed for longer than Lance had thought, only breaking for air, and he was met with Allura smiling radiantly up at him. “Thank you, Lance,” she murmured, face flushed a soft pink shade.

“Anything for you, my princess.”


End file.
